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Plans to adopt a new scheme to formalise how the council deals with petitions it receives from the public have been published.
The proposals for a new Petitions Scheme will be discussed by Full Council at its meeting on June 16.
The council is formalising its procedures for dealing with petitions as a response to the requirement of the Local Democracy, Economic Development and Construction Act 2009.
Under proposals to be discussed, various actions will be considered depending how many signatures the petition bears.
Options to deal with larger petitions of over 2,500 names include holding an inquiry into the subject matter, holding a public meeting, referring the issue to the council's overview and scrutiny committee or considering the petition at a full council meeting.
Actions on petitions under 2,500 signatures include meeting with petitioners to discuss the issue.
The new Petition Scheme also includes steps the petitioner can take if they feel their issue has not been dealt with properly while another change is that signatories would no longer be limited to those on the electoral roll – they can be anyone who lives, works or studies in the area, including those aged under 18.
Under the national act, petitions made in respect of statutory functions such as those in relation to planning and licensing matters are excluded from the scheme.
Chris Mathews, IW Council Head of Democratic Services said the new Petition Scheme aimed to enshrine in the council's constitution clear procedures to deal with petitions.
He said: "While the council has operated its own petitions scheme it is nevertheless happy to develop this further in accordance with the Act that is designed to improve local democracy.
"The Act says a larger petition can be defined as one signed by up to five percent of the population - in the Island's case over 7,000 people. This proposed scheme has reduced that upper threshold to 2,500 in order to give a greater opportunity for issues of concern to be considered."
The paper on the Petitions Scheme to be discussed by Full Council can be viewed on the following link:
http://www.iwight.com/council/committees/mod-council/16-6-10/Paper%20C.pdf
